Oh The Places You Will Go! Investigating A Home Like A Pro Before Making An Offer

The whole process of shopping for a home you will make your own is terribly exciting. You get to spend your days traipsing through houses and envisioning your family and belongings tucked inside, and this can definitely be a lot of fun. However, in all seriousness, buying a home is a really big deal and deserves a keen eye for detail and a little dirty work. Way too many buyers sift through home after home without stopping to check in all the hidden spots before they decide to make an offer. Roll your sleeves up, put on your boots, grab a flashlight, and even prepare to get a little dirty. You never want to make an offer on a home before checking these often-neglected areas. 

The Attic 

The attic is often seen as an unused, unimportant space, so chances are, you will not make the effort to go up there in a home you are thinking about buying, but you really should. Fold down that ladder and climb up with a flashlight because there are some things up there you need to be checking, such as:

• if there is adequate insulation
• if there are signs of leaks from the roof
• if there are obvious signs of rodent issues
• if the space seems to be heated or cooled when it should not be climate controlled

The Crawl Space

If a home has a basement, consider yourself lucky. You can easily strut your way into the basement or cellar in most homes and take a good look without getting dirty. However, checking out the crawlspace is just as important if you are serious about making an offer. The crawlspace holds a lot of inside secrets. For example, standing water under there likely points to problems with drainage, and foul odors in the crawlspace may mean septic issues. 

The Closets

A seller may look at you a little strange if you pull out a flashlight and step into even the smallest closets in the house, but there is nothing strange about this at all. The fact is, if a homeowner has taken the time to cover up things like water damage in the rest of the rooms with paint, there is a decent chance they will miss some spots inside of the closets. Get in there and look up around the ceilings and walls to see if you can spot any signs of water damage, like discoloration or dark moldy spots. 

For information on houses for sale, contact a real estate company like Stacy Sells.